Zenda, the beloved resident cat of Recycle Bookstore for the past 16 years, is on the move.

On Oct. 28, Zenda will fly to his new home in a gothic Victorian in Mebane, N.C., accompanied by Eric Johnson, owner of Recycle.

Zenda and his late companion Gertrude Stein were fixtures at Recycle Bookstore when it was located on Santa Clara Street in downtown San Jose and owned by founders Pat and John Hayes.

In 1998, Johnson and his wife, Cynthia, purchased the business, and Zenda and Gertie, as she was known, moved to 1066 The Alameda along with all the books.

Gertie died three years ago, leaving Zenda to rule the roost.

Six months ago, Johnson introduced two new rescue cats to the store–Emma, a basic black cat, and Ender, a grey longhair.

Zenda not only disdained the newcomers, he incited fear in the new felines.

“This is our fault for thinking Zenda would cede any of his long-held territory,” says Johnson. “We even called in Jimmy Carter to broker a deal, but to no avail.”

Zenda’s new home in an antiques store called Quirks will be with Elisa Williams, a woman he knows well.

Williams is a former employee of Recycle Bookstore who, Johnson says, “has a long and storied history of spoiling cats.”

“We can be certain that Zenda will be treated in the royal fashion he is accustomed to.”

When the Johnsons opened their second Recycle Bookstore in 2004 in downtown Campbell, the staff included a cat named Bob.

Johnson says cats are perfect for bookstores, particularly ones specializing in used books.

“A cat’s energies matches the energies of a bookstore–they are usually calm, quiet and peaceful,” he says.

“Dogs usually have a crazy energy.”

Johnson posted a note on the front of the San Jose store in early October alerting patrons to Zenda’s plans to retire to the South so they will have the opportunity to say goodbye and perhaps rub his head one more time.

Zenda will be on hand to meow farewell at Recycle’s San Jose location from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

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